by Denise Gary
Photographs © Bruce Matsunaga and Robert Gary
Phenomenal!!! How else to describe the incredibly fun and successful weekend we enjoyed at Phoenix Comicon 2015?! Every year Kids Need to Read looks forward to Phoenix Comicon with as much anticipation and excitement as a young child awaiting a holiday! It is that much fun! This was our sixth year as the sponsored charity of Phoenix Comicon—an honor we never take for granted. Thanks to the support of Phoenix Comicon’s staff and volunteers, Arizona Coyotes (sponsors of the Build-a-Book program), cosplayers, artists, attendees, and KNTR staff and volunteers, the event resulted in nearly $30,000 for the organization—the most successful year yet! To continue to have the enthusiastic support of Phoenix Comicon and the Geek community in our efforts to make reading accessible to all children is tremendously humbling. We are most fortunate indeed!
Take a look below at the adventures we experienced, starting with the children’s programming, followed by all of the incredible fundraising done on our organization’s behalf. We thank everyone for their spectacular support of Kids Need to Read!
Build-a-Book, with Steven Riley, Sponsored by Arizona Coyotes
We are always excited to provide this fantastic program conducted by Steven Riley (author and illustrator of the Little Ty Cooney National Wonders series) in the Kids Need to Read booth every year. Build-a-Book inspires children to create stories, thanks to the exceptionally entertaining Mr. Riley. Some of the participating children have attended all four years we have presented the program in our booth.
The Arizona Coyotes generously sponsored the program so we could give all participants a beautiful hardcover book and a special “Howling for Books” backpack!
Our longtime partners Highlights for Children made it possible to provide wonderful Highlights magazines, as well.
Kids Need to Read is exceedingly grateful to the Arizona Coyotes for their commitment to the community, as well as Steven Riley for dedicating his considerable talent to our organization over the past six years.
Howler, Courtesy of Arizona Coyotes
KNTR was honored to host Howler at Phoenix Comicon, courtesy of Arizona Coyotes. Kids and adults alike were incredibly thrilled to meet him, and he kept everyone laughing with his nonstop exuberance. Hilarious and memorable!
Kids Need to Read Booth
The Kids Need to Read booth not only presented the Build-a-Book program but offered literacy-inspired merchandise and raffles, as well as free Highlights magazines for kids. (Many thanks to Highlights for Children!) Charming Reading Buddies were also sold, handmade and generously donated to KNTR by volunteer Jessica Payne.
We offer our heartfelt thanks to everyone who donated art, handiwork, and other items for KNTR booth sales and raffles!
Youth Fashion Show
I was honored to be the Mistress of Ceremonies of the Youth Fashion Show for the second year. This is a mighty adorable event! Kids walked the catwalk showcasing their creative costumes and they really had fun!
Everyone came away with prizes. If you missed out, plan to bring your kids next year for a stellar experience!
Hero Design—Riley Style, with Steven Riley
Author and illustrator Steven Riley conducted an interactive exploration of creation and illustration for all ages in the Youth Art Room. This wonderful program has a decided superhero slant and has become a well-attended annual tradition.
THREE Dances Benefiting KNTR (Steampunk Homecoming Ball, Gallifrey Geek Prom, The Red Wedding)
Phoenix Comicon decided to change things up a bit this year, hosting three dances—one each evening—to benefit KNTR, rather than the Geek Prom only! They even took over the production of the dances for KNTR to relieve the burden the extra dances would entail. Kids Need to Read attended each dance to thank the attendees, toss out some prizes sponsored by Newins Access Auto Insurance, and to host raffles.
Each dance featured music, dancing, and other entertainment, but had a unique vibe according to their themes.
The Red Wedding was definitely the rowdiest!
Many thanks to Phoenix Comicon, Director of Hotel Events Martin Brown, and the many Phoenix Comicon volunteers who worked incredibly hard to put these dances together and make them fun for the attendees! We enjoyed them all and appreciated the enthusiastic efforts on KNTR’s behalf! Altogether, the dances and raffles raised $14,362.
Phoenix Comicon Charity Art Auction and Sketch Offs Benefiting Kids Need to Read
This annual art auction raised $5,980 and it all benefited KNTR 100%! There was a mixture of silent auctions, live auctions, and live sketch offs featuring stunning art generously donated by the talented artists of Phoenix Comicon. The My Little Pony sketch off was a hot place to be!
The most coveted pieces were Randy Knight’s spectacularly crafted Charity Art Cleavers (beautifully designed by Travis Hanson), raising $2,400.
Randy creates art jam pieces every year, devoting months of his time to not only craft them out of wood but to gather illustrations on the pieces by the artists of Phoenix Comicon 2015.
Many thanks to all of the participating artists, as well as Kirsten Smith and Maria Panter for giving their all to organizing the auctions and sketch offs, and Shawn Demumbrum for overseeing the events!
Phoenix Comicon Texas Hold ‘Em Charity Poker Tournament Benefiting Kids Need to Read
This was the fourth year for Phoenix Comicon and Lupine Entertainment to host this No Limit Hold ‘Em Charity Tournament, raising $3,713, all of which benefited Kids Need to Read!
I was invited to play despite my extreme inexperience—I needed a cheat card—and had a blast!
I even won some rounds, much to the amusement of my fellow players! I am looking forward to playing again next year!
Never-ending thanks Randy DeVault and Angie Ramey of Lupine Entertainment for pouring their hearts into this event, major table sponsors Parchment and Vegas 2 U, sponsors Big Chris Art, Big Dog Ink, Zenescope, guest artist Jen Broomall, Chris Hartwig of Phoenix Comicon, and the many other prize sponsors and participants who make this event an enormous success every year. We appreciate these folks so much!
Drinks with Authors
This was the first year KNTR participated in this event and it was incredibly exciting! The ballroom was packed with authors and fans simply enjoying an opportunity to meet and chat.
There were book giveaways by participating publishers and KNTR hosted literacy-themed raffles, raising $456.
However, the best moments of this event were the opportunities to discuss our cause, both on stage and off.
And watching folks take pictures with KNTR’s sign. Yes, we were quite thrilled by that!
Many thanks to emcee/author Myke Cole and Phoenix Comicon!
501st Legion Dune Sea Garrison Blast-a-Trooper Benefiting Kids Need to Read
The kids absolutely adore this fundraising game conducted annually by the 501st Legion Dune Sea Garrison! The Blast-a-Trooper target range arms participants with NERF blasters and pits them against characters from the Star Wars universe for a small donation to Kids Need to Read!
Thanks so much to our garrison pals!
Arizona Avengers Raffle Benefiting Kids Need to Read
The Arizona Avengers raffled a spectacular handmade Cyclops visor to benefit KNTR at their booth in the Hall of Heroes! The visor was beautifully made and even lit up. We are grateful to our super-heroic friends at Arizona Avengers for their continuing support year after year!
Justice League of Arizona Raffle Benefiting Kids Need to Read
The Justice League of Arizona held a raffle of action figures to support KNTR in their Hall of Heroes booth. Some of these folks may dress as villains, but they are all heroes to us!
I could not be more proud of my co-worker Lori Cothrun, our veteran volunteers, and the many new crew members who absolutely rocked Phoenix Comicon for KNTR! Truly unbelievable! Lori was a shining star, keeping every moment in the booth lighthearted, stress-free, and inclusive. She inspired the volunteers to give their all and made us all laugh constantly.
The dedication of our volunteers was mind-boggling, especially considering the majority of them were brand new to KNTR. They worked so hard! Simply put, KNTR’s vibe was spectacular!
Bruce Matsunaga and Robert Gary are most wonderful photographers! Their images always capture the wonder, hilarity, and warmhearted spirit of our adventures at the convention every year. We are truly blessed by their service to Kids Need to Read! I especially wore Bruce out, but I am quite proud that we met our challenging goal to visit, thank, and photograph every event conducted on behalf of Kids Need to Read.
Then there was the Phoenix Comicon staff— especially Founder and Director Matt Solberg, and Programming Director Joe Boudrie—the kindness and generosity of which has to be experienced to comprehend its vast, awe-inspiring intensity. They will never understand how much I appreciate their positive impact on this organization that I love so deeply. Great, great happiness is ours!
To everyone who supported Kids Need to Read at Phoenix Comicon, we offer our heartfelt thanks for sharing our belief that reading is an important and incredible gift for all children, especially those who desperately need to discover the power of literacy in order to lift themselves out of poverty and other challenging circumstances. We hope to see you again next year.
More photos can be found on Bruce Matsunaga’s Flickr Page.
